Pentagram
Platform: ZX Spectrum
Region: UK
Media: Snapshot
Controller: Kempston, Interface 2, Cursor and Keyboard
Genre: Adventure - Isometric
Gametype: Licensed
Release Year: 1986
Developer: Ultimate Play The Game
Publisher: Ultimate Play The Game
Players: 1
Programmer: Tim Stamper, Chris Stamper
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..."and silvery waters drawn forth from the well did quench the ravages of time. Decay dissolved, they point to the stars proud and sharp and new. Two you will find and thence, two more, all charmed with the magical dew. Across them you will find the PENTAGRAM. Its form will become as solid as rock for all to see."

"The runes must you learn and glean, their place in Magic and in this land will they find without aid and the PENTAGRAM will be yours."

This was Ultimate's way of describing the object of the game, which is to recover the lost Pentagram, an artifact of magical power. Firstly Sabreman must locate one of the wells located in the maze of screens, shoot it several times with his spell and take the resultant bucket of water to one of the broken obelisks. When dropped on these, the water will "heal" the stone. This must be done with each of the four obelisks to make the titular Pentagram appear in one of the rooms. Once this is done, five magic runestones must be found and placed on the Pentagram itself.

Though the objective in Pentagram is more complex and obscure than the simple "find and fetch" gameplay of the two previous Filmation games Knight Lore and Alien 8, the gameplay is similar to those two titles. The main differences in this final revision of the Filmation engine are the new ability to shoot enemies with a projectile magic spell, and the ability of the enemies to respawn. The "directional control" system of the previous games was also removed because the Spectrum's single joystick button was now needed to fire Sabreman's spell, so could no longer be used to jump (instead, "down" on the joystick is used to jump).

The basic gameplay is the same as that of Sabreman's previous outing Knight Lore (without that game's day/night transformation cycle), as he wanders a maze-like system of screens filled with enemies, pieces of movable scenery (often forming obstacles or puzzles), and exits on one or more walls, sometimes high up and difficult to reach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagram_%28video_game%29
